biography

Wherever Laura Fygi appears, she’ll be perceived as a veritable vision of exotica. In her home country the Netherlands she’s known as the woman raised in Uruguay as the daughter of an Egyptian belly dancer; in the Far East she’s seen as the emancipated lady many aspire to be. But no matter which country she visits, her most striking quality will always be that instantly familiar voice which has won her fans around the globe. Laura has performed all over Europe, South America and Asia. She even managed to conquer the Chinese market, a unique achievement for a Dutch singer! After her dance hits with the girl group Centerfold in the 1980’s, Laura has ventured out into numerous musical pathways, not shying away from jazz, latin or chanson, which rendered collaborations with such music luminaries as the late Toots Thielemans, Michel Legrand, and Michael Franks. Laura has also been awarded with various gold and platinum discs and in Singapore she even starred in her favorite musical Victor/Victoria. In 2012 she signed a contract with one of China’s largest record companies and released the album Flower for the Asian market only. It contained Chinese originals Laura had arranged in her own style. Some of the songs were translated into English and French, but four of them she sang in (Mandarin) Chinese, which really thrilled her audience! In 2015, Laura celebrated her 25th anniversary as a solo-artist. She had signed with Universal Music Netherlands at first, but when her career started gravitating toward the Far East she signed a worldwide deal with Universal Music Asia. In 2016 the album Jazz Love was released for which Laura had selected popular songs to be arranged in her own unique style. Turned into bossa, swing or soft jazz, the songs from Sade, the Beatles, Alicia Keys and Don McLean all gained a whole new dimension. Various concerts followed, including the Xiamen Jazz Festival in January 2017, where she was one of the headliners. She was accompanied by the JZ Big Band from Shanghai, which then became her permanent backing band. The success of the album led to another unique project in China. Laura signed with the JZ Music label in Shanghai and recorded an album that was released on (lilac!) vinyl. Of course the album was also released digitally, but with China rediscovering the traditional LP it soon became a collector's item. The album Laura Goes East contains a personal interpretation of evergreens known to everyone even in Asia, such as When I Fall In Love, Moon River, and What A Wonderful World. Laura also recorded a duet in Chinese with local celebrity Li Quan. In the Netherlands, Laura is busy as ever! She performs with various orchestras and has developed a special program with Trio Galantes, a group of 3 classically trained South American musicians who share her passion for Latin music. With a 30 year career and 17 albums to her name, Laura Fygi can be proud of what she’s achieved. The class of both her voice and appearance remain unchanged. Her husky voice, beautiful diction and great timing compares to Peggy Lee and to the intimacy of Julie London. This jazz diva still has a lot in store for us…!